the futile pursuit of happiness

Currently marinating on this:
I was flipping through The Best American NonRequired Reading last night and happened upon an interesting article about happiness. Originally published in the New York Times, the journalist discussed a team of Harvard psychologists and economists who were researching this abstract emotion and finding interesting results. For example, counter-intuitive though it may seem, people are happier with closure than with choice. Students in a photography class were asked to choose their two favorite pictures--one for the teacher and one to keep. One group had the option to switch after a few days. Which group was happier? The one who had to stick with what they originally decided. It's no wonder arranged marriages are as equally un/successful as love-based ones. Other studies proved how consistently lousy we all are at predicting what will make us happy in the future; therefore, we're constantly making poor life decisions hoping to reach that ephemeral state. A basic example was thinking a spacious house is what you always wanted without factoring in the psychological/emotional cost of distance from neighbors and a lacking sense of community. Or another: the majority of people choosing to have a trick knee over a broken wrist. Or another: the idea that having kids will make for a better life despite evidence that people without children lead just as happy (or unhappy) lives, not to mention a dramatic drop in marital happiness. Basically, we're opting for low-key but chronic suffering because the immediate acute pain or sense of loss seems overwhelming. Which economically speaking, they say, is pretty stupid of us.

An excerpt from Harvard News:
"People believe they can predict their happiness more accurately without drawing on the experience of others," Gilbert says. "I dare say that living next door to a family with ill-behaved, undisciplined kids never stopped people from having their own children."

So what are the secrets to a happy life? Gilbert recommends starting with the fact that happiness is not a permanent possession. It's a state that you move in and out of. "The fact that you're not always happy is not a problem," he says. "So don't look for a solution when there is no problem."

Next, develop your own philosophy of happiness. Don't accept the consumerism philosophy delivered in ads that tout new cars, more fashionable clothes, or better restaurants. "Look at your own life, and ask what has brought you the most joy," Gilbert notes. "Most times the answer lies in people, in friends and family. It comes mainly from relationships, not from stuff. "Finally, in trying to determine what will make you happiest, look to others who have already made the decisions you face. Try to honestly figure out how happy they are."